Yes, We Changed Our Minds (Again)

We officially applied for our second-born son to attend kindergarten next fall.  (No, this was not our original plan.)  I think it is for the best, though.  At the end of the day practicality and convenience have won out.  

Our son will turn five next November.  He will be only four years old for the first two months of school.  We had planned to hold him back a year, but the truth is, he's a bright and gregarious little guy.  I think he'll do just fine in kindergarten next fall.

The Candy Cane

Our five-year-old son brought the following poem home from kindergarten yesterday.  (This is a small example of the many reasons why I'm thankful he attends a Christian school.)

Look at a candy cane,

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me!

White for my Savior,

Who's sinless and pure!

"J" is for Jesus,

My Lord that's for sure!

Turn it around

And a staff you will see ---

Jesus, my shepherd,

Is coming for me!

Parent Teacher Interviews (Part 2)

We learned two interesting things during our son's PT interview yesterday:

• The kindergarten kids play a game called (something like) "Counting Bones" in their classroom. The object of the game is to count dog biscuits and place them in bowls. Apparently, over the course of time, some of the dog bones mysteriously went missing. Care to guess who's child was eating the dog biscuits?

• Our five-year-old son has found the girl he plans to marry. They hold hands in class and give one another rides on the tire swing at recess. The kindergarten teacher says the children are quite inseparable. Our son freely admits to having a "girlfriend" but has run into a small stumbling block. Yesterday he said, "Mommy, I want to marry my girlfriend and I need to buy her a ring.  But I don't have enough allowance yet!" 

Parent Teacher Interviews

When did we suddenly arrive at this place in life?  Do we truly have school-age children in our house?  Where have the preschool years flown off to?

Our kindergartener brought home his first report card last week, and this afternoon Ben and I attended our first official parent teacher conference.  It was an interesting experience.  The teacher said lots of nice things and offered some constructive criticism.  I thought her comments were bang on.  It's only been three months and already she has our son well pegged.

But I still can't get over the fact we actually have children old enough to attend school.  If I could grab time by the tail and reign it in, truly I would.  Before I know it our sweet baby boy will be trotting off to kindergarten and I'll be alone with myself all day.

What will that be like?

I Hate Being Indecisive

I think we've finally reached consensus. Ben and I will hold our almost-four-year-old back a year from starting kindergarten. His November birthday and outgoing personality have really thrown us for a loop! However, we've decided it's best for him to be five (almost six) before he starts school.

Next year we'll register our son in the same jr. kindergarten program his big brother attended. I think that extra year will be really beneficial for our little guy.

Big Boy School Kids

Today is our five-year-old's first full day of school. (He's especially looking forward to eating his lunch in the cafeteria!) Our son also has his first ballet lesson later this afternoon. I'm thinking we'll have one tired boy come the end of the day. A seven o'clock bed time should be just fine, don't you think?

Our almost-four-year-old seems to have taken to preschool like a duck to water. I don't even get a goodbye at the door anymore! He's a sociable little guy, and I suspect he'll do just fine at making friends. We had originally planned to keep our second-born back a year from starting kindergarten because his birthday is in November. (The school's cut-off date is Dec. 31.) We're now considering registering our son to kindergarten next year after all.

Our boys are 22 months apart in age, but I think they may end up being only one grade apart in school. Keeping our five-year-old back a year was definitely the right decision. (He is a January baby.) Would it be the right decision for his younger brother too? I'm no longer convinced. They're two very different little boys.

I mean BIG boys! (They're always reminding me!)

The Big Day


Here's our young scholar, about to embark on his first day of kindergarten. I love his stylin' tie. (It's a clip-on.) This picture was taken from our back deck and you can see our kids' school along the horizon. What a blessing to live so close!

Back to School Shopping

The living's been easy. Our kids have worn grubbies. (Shorts, t-shirts and sandals.) The new school year dawns and the weather turns cool. I pull out their sneakers. The long winter pants. And nothing fits. (When did that happen?) The kids have all grown near six inches, I swear.

The boys need new shoes.

We dash to the Payless. Plain black runners for school are top on the list. Our three-year-old needs some new sneakers too. "What size are their feet?" the salesgirl asks. I have no idea. The numbers keep changing! "I'll measure them both," she kindly suggests.

Size 12 1/2 and size 10. We're off to find runners. The three-year-old wanders around, changing displays. "I'll take him over to find a size 10," the helpful clerk offers. I rush to find some black shoes on the shelf. Size 13s. Good enough.

"Diego!!" I hear my son gleefully cry. "Mommy, I found them!" he calls over the shelf. I come round the corner and spot my big boy, big boy shoes on his feet. Diego runners. Of course. They light up, no less.

The salesgirl shrugs, "He found them himself." (She's been well taught.) I cringe at the price tag but swallow my thoughts. "They're perfect," I say. And they are.

Two pairs of new shoes. Two happy boys. One boy, in particular, admires his kicks. He won't take them off. Not even to sleep. "Can't I pleeeease wear Diego to bed?" he begs and he pleads.

That's where I draw the line.

Just One More Day

Tomorrow will be our family's final day of summer vacation. Our two oldest sons start school bright and early on Wednesday morning. (Kindergarten for the five-year-old and preschool for his younger brother.) I feel like September has suddenly leapt upon us. Where did the summer go? Is it fall already?

Our family has been away from home a lot over the past week or so. The kids are all out of routine and have not been sleeping terribly well. The baby is especially thrown off. (The poor little guy's been fussing and crying most of the evening because he's so tired.) I'm afraid this week we'll require a major reboot in the areas of discipline and routine.

I'm taking a deep breath and trying to enter the upcoming week with a brave face. Our babies are going to school! I can't believe it's actually happening. Our family is entering a whole new season.

Quote of the Day

(Imagine this statement coming from the mouth of an exasperated Junior Kindergartener.)

"School is so boring.  It's just all about learning."

Junior Kindergarten

Our big boy is officially a junior kindergartener! Today I secured one of the last spots for September's class. I am excited about the prospect. My son, however, is quite ambivalent about the whole thing ...

My School Kid

Yesterday morning my son and I paid an impromptu visit to his new preschool I wanted to pick up a registration form, and I had hoped we might take a look around. My big boy was terribly excited to visit the school.

Ben and I would like to register our son for junior kindergarten this September. The junior kindergarten program runs five afternoons per week, from 1:30pm to 3:30pm. The class is geared towards four-year-olds ---- kids who are a bit too big for preschool, but not yet ready for kindergarten. The program focuses on pre-reading skills, an introduction to phonics, listening skills, play time, story time, and lots of crafts. The kids also spend some time working on computers.

The junior kindergarten class is very small. There are 20 children to two teachers. Early registration has already started, but we will not be allowed to register our son until Jan. 22. Three spots are still open in the class. On the registration day I plan to arrive at least half an hour early, and hopefully we will secure one of those last three seats! If not, we'll register our son in the three-day-per-week preschool program and put his name on the waiting list for junior kindergarten.

I was very impressed with the school when we toured it yesterday. The director was a kind, caring woman. She made a point of showing my son every classroom, and even let him play with some of the toys. The school has four large, bright classrooms, offices, and a computer lab for the children. We even toured the washrooms and the storage closet!

After reading all the resource material, browsing the web site, touring the school, and meeting the director and several teachers, I feel confident that our son will do well at this preschool. Our family will embark on a new season this September. I can hardly believe my little man will soon be a school kid!

Preschool vs. Kindergarten

This topic has been weighing on my mind all week, and I think my son's fourth birthday sparked it all. Our boy is a "January baby". Because of the way the school system is structured in Calgary, we have a choice as to whether he starts kindergarten this fall (2007) or next (2008).

Originally, Ben and I had decided to send our son to kindergarten this year. We submitted an application to a local Christian private school (within walking distance of our house). The school has limited enrollment, and we've been patiently waiting to hear if our little guy has been accepted.

Over the past few weeks I started to doubt my son's readiness for kindergarten, though. He's a very bright boy and has a terrific vocabulary. He communicates clearly. He's great at building things, especially with Lego. Our son makes friends easily and plays well with other kids. However, I do not think he is emotionally mature enough for school. He still throws tantrums and occasionally has trouble following instructions. His drawing and writing skills are behind most four-year-olds. (His pictures are still basically scribbles). I suspect our son is an auditory learner, which might put him at a disadvantage in a traditional classroom.

Ben and I decided to look into alternatives to kindergarten for our little guy. I learned about a "junior kindergarten" program offered at a nearby preschool. (The school is only a few blocks away from our house.) The program runs five afternoons a week, and is geared towards four-year-olds. They work on skills like colouring, printing, learning letters and numbers, and listening to instructions. The classes are small (20 preschoolers to 2 teachers). I think our son could have lots of fun at this school!

I guess enrollment for the junior kindergarten program is quite competitive. The school director warned me that the class could be full before our scheduled registration date (January 22). If the class does fill up, we will try to enroll in the 3-afternoons-a-week program instead. Hopefully we will find a spot in one of the two classes.

I had a long talk with our son today, and he is quite excited about the prospect of attending preschool. He has several friends in preschool this year, and they often tell him how fun it is. He can't wait to go to a "big boy school". Our son seems quite content to delay his kindergarten education for another year. I am glad he is so agreeable to it all!